Sign holder



Jan. 5, 1932.

A. H. TABOR 1,840,176

SIGN HOLDER Filed May 51, 1930 By flmmih.

A llomey Patented Jan. 5, 1932 AUBR Y TH. TABOB, :or ranenn, 'WESTVIRGINIA :'SIGN HOLDER Application filed ma 31, 1930. swam. 458,502. g

This invention relates to a new and improved sign holder especially, butnot necessarily, adapted for use on railway cars and the like forholding various types of indicia 5.equipped cards in display position.

In carryingthe conception into practice,1 have evolved and produced asimple and economical device of this class characterized by anespecially designed fixedly mounted frame, and a practicableform ofresilient card retainer, attached thereto in a position to permit thecard or cards to be firmly clamped between the frame and the retainer.

The specific details and the relative arrangement and associationthereof, will become more readily apparent from the followingdescription and drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view of a device constructedin accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

; Fig. 3 is a View like Fig. 2, showing the resilient retainer swunginwardly against the car body to an out-of-the-way temporary position tofacilitate application and removal of the card.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the especially fashioned retainer.

In Fig. 1 the reference character 5 designates the frame. This isgenerally rectangular in configuration, and spaced parallel side walls 6provided with apertured attaching ears 7 to permit the frame to besecurely fastened to the body 8 of the car. The lower end portions ofthese side walls 6 are formed with inwardly pressed projections tlconstituting keepers for holding the retainer in the positionrepresentedin Fig. 3.

The frame is of open-work design and embodies upper and lower barmembers 11 and 12 and a pair of intermediate bar members 13 and 14defining three distinct sight openings 15, 16 and 17 respectively. Thesemay serve to display card 18as shown in Fig. 2.

The bottom bar 12 is provided with a finger notch 19. The top bar isprovided with a downwardly bent lip 20 for receiving the lat includeserallybent-upper endportions 21- on-the arms 22 of the retainer 10.

The-retainer includes a'rectangular part 23 which surrounds the sight17.- The lower portion'of this part23-is formed'withasubstantiallyU-shaped finger grip' 24c'bent outwardly to :protrudeslightly through the notch 19 Whenthemetainer is in the" expandedclamping'position'shown'in F igs.'1 and 2.

'Th eupper endportions of the arms just blowthe terminals 21 are securedtoa retaining bracket 25 held in place by a screw "or the *like 26. Thistherefore positions therectangular part 23 m apositon to surround theopening 17'andto permitthe arms 22-to span the central portions of theareas 15 and 16. i 'Thus one onmore-cards may be. clamped betweenthedevice and the fra1ne-5 -inthe manner as shown inFig. 2. By pl-acing'the' thumb in'thenotch'19 againstthefinger grip 24"and'pushing thedevice 10 inwardly, said device may be snapped behind the keepers 9 ,so'that it "is held in the position represented inFig. 3 to 'permit'easyinsertion of the-card. k

This 'device, it is understood, is attached to :railwa-y carsinlieu'ofthe wood'blocks now generaly' employed on steel freight carsfor-fasteningcardsthereto. The holder h0w ever,'isequally adapted foruse on wooden ca eo avoid tacking of cards to the sides of the cars. Thedevice eliminates the necessity "of hammer and tacks in applyingcards,thus' makingithe cards easier to apply i and remove. It preventsmutilation of the cards. i Y

.It'is far more dependableand neater than the present means for mountingcards. It will accommodate .a variety of .sizes and shapes ofcarCfll'ClSfi-IldllOld tllBIll securely andpreventtheirnmutilationinattaching and removing. Little'i'f any of the reading matter on -thecard will be-obscured by the open work I design of the frame.

it is to be "understood thatby describing in detail herein anyparticular 'form, structure aor arrangement, itis not intended "to limitthe invention beyond 1 the terms of the several claims or therequirements of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is 1. A cardholder of the class described comprising a frame adapted to be rigidlymounted on a support, said frame comprising a substantially rectangularbody including top and bottom bar members, a pair of spaced intermediatebar members, and longitudinal members connecting said bar memberstogether to form a portion including a series of independent sightopenings, said frame also includ ng a pair of spaced parallellongitudinal side walls extending at right angles to said longltudinalmembers and defining a passage for reception of the card and adapted tobear against the support, said side walls being provided with attachingmeans, and a card retainer secured at its upper end to the correspondingend portion of said frame and including a substantially rectangularportion at its bottom surrounding the lowermost sight opening, and apair of upstanding spaced arms spanning the remaining sight openings.

2. A card holder comprising a frame including an open work frontportion, the lower end of which is provided with a finger notch, saidframe also including spaced parallel side walls having inwardly pressedportions functioning as keepers, a resilient retainer disposed againstthe inner side of said front portion and having a finger grip dependingbelow said finger notch, said retainer including portions detachablyengageable with said keepers, whereby to permit the retainer to beswung-inwardly and disposed temporarily in an out-of-the way position tofacilitate insertion and removal of the card v between the retainer andsaid frame.

3. A card holder comprising an openwork frame and a resilient wireretainer, said frame being provided adjacent its top and on its innerside with a depending apertured lip, a resilient wire retainer disposedagainst the inner surface of said frame and including a pair of armshaving laterally directed terminals located in the apertures in saidlip, and a fastener secured to said frame and including a bracketbridging the terminal end portions of said arms to aid in holding saidretainer in position on the frame.

4. As a new product of manufacture, a frame for use in association witha card holder of the class described comprising a substantiallyrectangular body of sheet material including a frontal portion embodyinga pair of longitudinal members, upper and lower end members, and a pairof spaced intermediate members all connected together and defining aseriesof three distinguishable sight openmgs, a pair of spaced parallellateral side walls having their lower end portions formed with inwardlyprojected portions defining keepers, said side walls being provided withoutstanding apertured attaching ears, the aforesaid lower member beingrovided with a finger notch, and the intermediate portion of said uppermember being provided with a depending apertured anchorage lip, a wireretainer confined in said frame and including a rectangular lower endportion and a pair of spaced parallel attaching arms having lateralterminals defining anchoring fingers secured in said lip, and aremovable bracket fastened to said upper member at a point just beneathsaid lip and engaging adjacent portions of said arms.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature AUBREY H. TABOR.

